Description

Most CX and contact center leaders are still in the early stages of their AI journey — and that’s completely normal. Before choosing a vendor or designing a roadmap, it’s essential to understand where AI fits and what’s possible in today’s contact centers. 

This session provides a practical, non-technical foundation to help leaders move from curiosity to action. We’ll explore real examples of AI transforming customer experience, uncover early opportunities for measurable impact, and outline the key steps for getting started with confidence. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Understand the current landscape of AI in the contact center and what’s driving real ROI 
• Learn how to identify “low-hanging fruit” that delivers impact without disruption 
• Discover how to gain alignment across leadership, IT, and operations before you implement 
• Leave with a simple framework to evaluate where to begin your AI journey 

Discussion Topics: 

1. The AI Landscape: What’s Working Today 

• Auto QA – Automate call scoring and compliance to unlock real-time insights 
• Accent Neutralization – Improve agent clarity and customer satisfaction 
• Training Simulations – Use AI to onboard and coach agents at scale
• Conversational AI Agents (Voice & Digital) – Scale outreach, scheduling, and customer engagement
• What differentiates “AI that works” from “AI that sounds good on paper” 

2. Identifying the Right Entry Point: What does ‘AI’ mean to your business?

• How to assess your operation for the best first use case (inbound, outbound, QA, or coaching) 
• Common pain points that signal readiness for AI — high handle times, low answer rates, agent turnover
• How to quantify quick wins: where small automation can have immediate financial or CX impact 

3. Laying the Groundwork for Success: Next Steps

• Clean data and well-defined processes
• Clear metrics for success (cost savings, conversion lift, or CSAT improvement) 
• Executive buy-in and cross-department alignment 
• Common pitfalls to avoid early (chasing “cool tech” vs. solving core problems) 
• When to build vs. when to buy — and how to evaluate the risk/reward Interactive 

Breakout: Walk through an RFI/RFP for AI- how ready is your team? Have every ‘group’ come up with a few business case questions for their RFP

Kendra Karczewski — Strategic CX & Contact Center Leader

Kendra Karczewski is a seasoned strategic customer experience (CX) and contact center technology expert. As Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Lumira Tech Advisors, she helps organizations navigate complex technology decisions to deliver measurable business outcomes — not just technical upgrades.

With over a decade of hands-on experience, Kendra specializes in CX platform strategy, cloud communications, CCaaS vendor evaluation, enterprise transformation, and successful CX implementations. Her pragmatic consulting approach combines deep technical expertise with a clear understanding of operational realities, risk management, and change leadership, enabling clients to adopt technology with confidence.

Kendra’s work spans advisory engagements, pro-services strategy, and transformation roadmaps that drive better customer engagement, improved contact center performance, and sustainable organizational growth.

Mandi Jarman — Channel Sales & Partnerships Leader

Mandi Jarman is a dynamic channel sales and partnerships leader with extensive experience driving growth in the tech and AI-driven customer engagement space. She currently serves as Head of Channel Sales & Partnerships at Regal.ai, where she leads strategic ecosystem development to expand adoption of AI-powered customer communication solutions.

Mandi’s career includes leadership roles in channel and regional sales across high-growth SaaS companies, where she has built strong partner networks and enabled scalable go-to-market strategies. Her deep understanding of customer experience technology, sales enablement, and partner ecosystems has helped organizations drive revenue and strengthen market presence.

Mandi is known for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to translate complex technology offerings into compelling value propositions for both partners and customers.

Srini (Srinivas) Karre — Technology & AI Thought Leader

Srini Karre is a technology leader and strategic thinker in the areas of digital transformation and AI adoption. A recent speaker at the GBI CIO Summit in Half Moon Bay, he shared insights on how organizations can approach the disruptive potential of AI by first understanding its impact on customers and the customer experience — before focusing solely on operational optimization.

Srini’s perspectives bridge the gap between cutting-edge innovation and real-world business outcomes, emphasizing responsible, customer-centric adoption of emerging technologies. His contributions to executive panels and industry discussions reflect a commitment to helping business leaders harness AI to reshape experiences, drive engagement, and create long-term value.